If there are two things I have steadfastly avoided over the years they are mobile games and trading card games. A third would be non-traditional pizza toppings like pineapple and broccoli, but that's another column entirely.

I love "World of Warcraft" though, so when Blizzard introduced "Hearthstone: Heroes of Warcraft," I felt my resolve waver.

It was one of the reasons I decided to finally write about mobile games (see "I'm going mobile!" in the July 15 edition of Friday magazine), though to be fair it is available on PC also. And, thankfully, the game will sync itself to multiple devices with your Battle.net. So every card, saved deck, etc. is accessible on your PC, iPhone and iPad, if that's what you want.

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Also helpful: it is quite easy to actually play this game for free. With patience you can have access to about 80 percent of the game without spending a dime.

You start with the access to one hero and a small deck of cards. From there you play practice rounds and learn the ins-and-outs of the gameplay. Win matches and you will earn new cards and packs and -- eventually -- gold.

A view of the playing board in "Hearthstone: Heroes of Warcraft." (Courtesy photo)

You can use your gold to purchase new card packs, which can contain Rare and even Legendary cards. You can also use gold to purchase entrance into the Arena (more on that later) to try and win even more gold.

The game itself is simple to learn but still presents a significant strategic challenge.

There are nine different classes, eight of which you'll need to unlock. Each one has its own unique powers and requires specific strategies to prevail.

The Priest, for instance, plays more defensively, healing himself and his minions while slowly overtaking his opponent. The Mage, on the other hand, relies on power to overcome adversaries, accessing powerful spells and strong minions if given the chance.

Every character may use a portion of the cards, but the real power lies in the class-specific ones that sets them apart.

Unlike physical collectible card games, the cards here can be more fluid. For instance, a card may feature a random three missile attack hitting three enemies randomly. This gives you a nicely powerful attack cheap, but takes away your ability to guide it.

The basics remain elegantly simple though. Each player has a pool of hit-points -- bring them to zero and you win.

Minion cards put characters between you and your opponent, some of which must be beaten before you can attack the main character directly. Minions can also attack, so letting the other guy build up too great a minion lineup will result in your being quickly overpowered.

"Hearthstone: Heroes of Warcraft" might be perfect for those looking for a challenging, deep and affordable mobile game. (Courtesy photo)

You'll spend a lot of your time learning how various cards interact with each other and which ones are most effective against different classes. You'll learn which minions to attack when, since some of them are far more dangerous than they first appear.

Unlike physical card games, the computer can keep track of the numbers for you, simplifying complex situations like when one of an opponent's cards provides a stat boost to the other cards around it (for the record, you usually want to take that card out first).

The developers are also able to tweak the game's balance, editing some cards that are found to be over- or under-powered in competitive play.

There have already been a couple of expansions, but it's not too late to jump in and start playing. It just makes for more cards to learn to use and counter.

Now here's the catch: Just because the game is free-to-play doesn't mean you can't spend plenty of money. You can purchase card packs if you don't want to wait to slowly earn them. Packs will run about $1.50, but they do get cheaper the more you buy. Feel like busting into 40 packs? That's only $50, a significant discount.

There are also two "Adventures" to purchase if you feel like a challenging solo experience. For $20-$25 you will receive new challenges and unique cards. You can purchase new characters (though they fit into existing classes) and lastly, you choose to play in the arena. That will cost 150 gold (or $1.99). Good players can win more than enough gold in the arena to make it pay for itself, and then some. Their opponents are the ones who pay. Take that as a warning.

Ultimately, "Hearthstone: Heroes of Warcraft" entertained me constantly and cost me less than "Kingdom Hearts Unchained X," which I wrote about in the first part of this two-part review. For those looking for a challenging, deep and affordable mobile (or even PC) game, this may be the perfect way to go.

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